It's Around the Nation's continuing mission to be the eyes and
ears of the Division III fan who will never get to travel from
NESCAC country to SCIAC country. So ATN routinely packs up its
readers, figuratively, to come along as we peek in on ice-cold
games in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio, then later bake in the
Texas or Mississippi sun to bring the game to your computer screen.
It's a tough job, watching all this football, but someone's got to
do it.

Joking aside, New York had long been one of ATN's last unexplored
territories, and with reason. Back in our lower-budget,
more-thinly-staffed days, we always had volunteers stationed in or
near the Empire State, which made it wiser for me to attend
significant games in places other than New York, New Jersey or
Pennsylvania (a tri-state area, as Trine might point
out).

Thanks to your support of Kickoff, our advertisers and the like,
ATN has spent the past few seasons crisscrossing the country to
help fill in a portrait of the Division III experience, especially
for those of you whose focus is trained on a single team or
conference each Saturday. We've witnessed a Backyard Brawl in Mississippi, observed Frisbee players at Lewis & Clark in Oregon
and driven readers through Baltimore on a windy day at Johns
Hopkins. ATN pulled the two-games-in-one day trick in Wisconsin and
in Illinois, and tried to pull the two-games-at-one-time trick in
Iowa and Texas.

ATN had even seen New York teams play in other states, including
the time South Jersey told the story of a Rowan-Cortland State
overtime game.

But ATN had yet to take its readers on a trip upstate, and
although the Rochester/Buffalo region still deserves a visit,
giving the Finger Lakes a hand was necessary.

So off it was along the familiar Route 15 path out of Virginia's
D.C. suburbs, where publisher Pat Coleman and I had long been
based. Along I-81 in Pennsylvania are Lebanon Valley, King's and
Wilkes -- only one of whom was at home on Saturday and functioning
as the 'I'm never going to make it to Cortland in time' backup
plan.

Fall's foliage season hasn't quite hit its colorful zenith, but
the further north I traveled, the more vividly red and yellow the
trees became.As stops on the highway go, Cortland is no match for
nearby Binghamton, which is a clue about the city's stature. Barns,
farm animals and tractor sales lots dot the landscape on the ride
toward town, and the sharp-looking Victorian homes on Route 41 give
no indication there's a state-college behemoth lurking just a right
turn away.

I thought I'd been paying attention all these years, but someone
should have warned me about Cortland State. After finally parking,
I got out of the car like Dorothy when she first catches a glimpse
of the Emerald City. I was completely and utterly in awe of the
palace the Red Dragons have built.

Between the stadium's size and the red-clad walk up to the field,
I felt like I was going to a Rutgers game.

Maybe that's pushing it, but there was a steady stream of
SUNY-Cortland shirts on fans walking up to the gates, past where
free coffee and donuts were offered to passersby. It was parents
weekend, so I'm not quite sure if that was representative of every
game, but I don't think I'd seen it before.

Where tickets are taken, you must declare which sport you're there
to see. Headed to the football game? Keep left. Field hockey, which
plays in the same complex on a parallel field separated by
grandstands and a press box in the middle, had a game running
concurrently. Those fans kept right.

Underneath the grandstand is a concourse, with several food stands
that are likely bustling on Cortaca Jug day. A decent crowd (an
estimated 5,000 in the 6,500-seat stadium) showed up, but imagining
it full for the rivalry game provided an "I bet that would remind
me why I love college football" feeling.

The press box was the fourth story of five -- one reporter used
binoculars to check out the game action -- and provided seating for
watching the game going on on either side. Short of coordinating
the two national anthems to start at the same time, there's was
little from a game-day operations side that appeared it could've
been done any better.

It had been suggested, though Cortland State didn't seem
interested from what I could tell, that the school apply to host a
Stagg Bowl. And while the support staff in Salem is what sets it
apart from anyone who would apply (trust me, the weather in the
Roanoke Valley in December isn't so great that New York wouldn't
have a chance), the stadium matches up favorably.

Long story, well, still kind of long, Cortland's stadium
immediately replaced my long-time favorites North Central (I love
the towering concrete grandstand) and Widener (also concrete,
surrounded on three sides by trees) as my favorite facilities. St.
John's and Linfield won me over the most in terms of game-day
atmosphere (huge rivalry games not included, I suppose) and
probably still hold the crowns in that department.

Cortland's team wasn't bad either, as it handed Montclair State
its first loss, 23-17, while improving to 5-0. Given the Red
Dragons' history -- especially after going 9-1 with an overtime
loss to conference champion Rowan and not making the playoffs in
2006 -- taking control of the NJAC race was a gratifying step.
Cortland State has beaten Rowan, Kean and Montclair State, the
three teams with just a single NJAC loss, effectively giving the
Red Dragons a two-loss cushion with games remaining against four
2-3 teams, then rival Ithaca.

Speaking of the Red Dragons' Cortaca Jug counterparts, though they
were in Vermont beating Norwich 41-6, it only made sense to make
the 30-minute drive to see the well-regarded Jim Butterfield
Stadium.

For some reason, I'd always believed the view everyone raved about
had something to do with mountains in the background. Ithaca's
stadium is on a hill alright, South Hill, but it was the
you-have-see-it-to-believe-it view of Cayuga Lake that was the real
stunner.

Two New York fields in one afternoon, and I was blown away, then
blown away again.

Though Downtown Ithaca, perhaps helped by the presence of Ivy
League Cornell, appears far more developed -- with restaurants,
shops and Saturday evening crowds -- the stadiums were the
opposite. The contrast in the Cortland State/Ithaca rivalry is
often state school vs. private. The contrast in their stadiums
highlight the two ways Division III fields seem to emerge. Some
places go for the best money can buy -- field houses, video boards,
grandstands. Others might not have the fanciest setups, but
emphasize natural features -- hills and valleys from which fans can
watch the game or campus buildings which paint a stoic backdrop to
the hustle of game day.

Doesn't mean there's a right or wrong way to build your particular
football palace. The contrast between Cortland and Ithaca's
top-notch stadiums drove that home.

First and Ten

Division III's low-budget limitations often help create some of
the most unique settings a football fan will ever see. This week's
first and ten is designed to give ATN readers a chance to highlight
the most distinctive features, large and small, spotted on your
travels. Let's talk about
it on Post Patterns.

1. It's not worth trying to determine where Division III's "best"
stadium is. With stadium features being a matter of preference, one
man's dump, so to speak, is another man's palace. There are so many
ways we could define 'best' anyway. Best game-day atmosphere, best
facility, best natural surroundings, best use of what you're stuck
with, etc. Baseball fans are very partial to their stadiums, but
find room to cherish older Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, as well
as newer PNC Park and AT&T Park. And then there's those who
love Camden Yards and Petco Park, where old is incorporated into
the new. Just as there's a mix of school sizes and ages and
missions in Division III, there are fields and stadiums with their
own special touches.

2. In my eight seasons writing this column, I've seen my fair
share -- and I still have dozens of places yet to see, much less
see during a game. The trip to Cortland and Ithaca got me thinking
about where my favorite stadiums are, and the favorite features. I
think I'm partial to concrete and brick grandstands, but
appropriately sized for Division III. Millsaps and Mississippi
College didn't look right playing in 60,000-seat Jackson Memorial
Stadium back in 2003. I'm impressed by video boards and
brand-spanking-new field houses, but families spread out on a hill
or signs of support from cheerleaders and sororities give a
personal feel that costs a lot less. I'm not terribly convinced
that money makes an atmosphere special, but I'm also sure there
isn't a Division III program that couldn't find something good to
do with more of it.

3. Seems like a fair percentage of Division III fields are set
along train tracks (Albion, Cornell, Catholic, Gettysburg, Hamline,
Linfield, Randolph-Macon, Susquehanna) or backed up to a cemetery
(Hope, Thiel, Wesley). Next time you visit a new field, take a look
around and see if you don't find one of those things. Maybe it
makes planning-commission sense to carve out a field in an area
where no one was really clamoring for that land.

5. Stadium architects (and I'm not even sure a lot of these places
were that carefully planned) must work with the plot of land they
are given. Incorporation of trees to surround the stadium (as at
Widener and St. John's) and natural hills/valleys (McDaniel, St.
John's, Hampden-Sydney) are wonderful. Sometimes the challenges are
a little tougher. Back in the mid-90s, before the upgrades to
Washington & Lee's Wilson Field, teams had to walk across a
bridge from the locker room.

7. Sometimes what you aren't makes you what you are. My alma
mater, Randolph-Macon, is home to some of the least-fancy
facilities you'll find, but like most places has its own
you'll-never-see-this-anywhere-else uniqueness: Only a sidewalk
separates the football field from a semi-busy town street and the
apartments and "motel dorms" on the other side. Students can park
their cars and/or gather on the other side of the street to catch
point-after kicks and field goals, some of which have been known to
hit moving cars if they aren't careful. (Sure, R-MC could spring
for a net, but this is way more fun.) Also, because there's no
track team, the brick stadium is about as close to the sideline as
possible, which brings the game-day experience of hearing coaches
chew out players (at least under previous regimes) directly to the
fans.

8. As far as unique goes, no one can beat the Claremont
Consortium's two fields on one campus. Pomona-Pitzer's field is
surrounded by a library (or building of some sort, it's been a
while; see photos here), while the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is more
of a concrete grandstand in an open space. But passing an outdoor
water polo practice drives home the California aspect of the campus
as much as towering palms on Redlands' campus do.

9. Often, game day is enhanced by the people on hand. While
Bridgewater's legendary Stone Station and the Stiftungsfestivities
at St. John's are among the gold-standard Division III tailgates,
sometimes more subtle things give an experience its touch. At
Linfield, couches lined up on one end zone make for a great spot to
see the game. Hardin-Simmons (which also has an outdoor pool by the
field), takes a similar scene a step further. In the end zone are
empty trash barrel-drums used for pumping up the crowd.
UW-Whitewater fires a cannon after each home touchdown. And I'm
sure I'm forgetting a sing-songy chant from someplace or another.
(Wabash maybe?) I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the pep bands,
cheer squads and dance teams. Facilities can only do so much; A
great game day starts with lively fans.

Dominic Livedoti played at Olivet in the 1960s and
is the head coach now.Photo by Keith
McMillan, D3sports.com

10. Sometimes I think I'd make a fine football coach, if only
because I've had the chance to hold court with greats like Larry
Kehres, John Gagliardi and Frosty Westering. If I were able to
steal from them the right ideas about motivation, program-building
and developing character (forget X's and O's), I'd be better off
than most first-year coaches. Pipe dreams aside, I sometimes think
as Division III programs we're all in this together, or at least
for the right reasons. If we could all pick each other's brains on
how to build a great stadium or enhance a program through
tradition, what would we share? I've included two photos from trips
I've taken in the past few months as a couple examples. At Olivet,
which I visited while seeing my wife's family in nearby Battle
Creek, Mich., over the summer, they've created a tradition where
former players can stay linked to the locker they had as a player.
A few months later, leaving Salisbury, I saw what I assume is
Christopher Newport's equipment truck, which cleverly had the
team's schedule on the side and acts as free advertising every
moment it's on the road.

Want
to know when CNU plays? Check the truck.Photo by Keith
McMillan, D3sports.com

My list is not an end-all be-all; I can't even remember all the
cool things I've seen or the places I've been. And I probably have
still seen less than half of Division III's stadiums. Above, I
didn't even mention Wabash, DePauw and the Monon Bell, or game-day
atmospheres at other rivalry games, or sharp new stadiums at
Beloit, Shenandoah, CNU, etc.

Although it's taken me half the season to really explore it, and
therefore mention it, if you haven't seen the NCAA's new
statistical interface, you should (follow the link on the left-hand
rail to get there). All the things we argue about -- strongest
schedules, attendance figures -- are there, many of them in
sortable, downloadable reports. Being a Division III "expert" is
less about knowing everything than it is knowing who to ask and
where to look, so I hate to reveal my sources, but this is too good
to keep to myself.

All the streaks and non-conference records I had been tracking by
hand are now done for me. In light of that, I thought I'd have time
to throw out a bonus item to show you how much one can glean from
the new stats package. There's a link on the left-hand side of this
page.

1. The length of the average made field goal in Division III this
year is a shade over 30 yards. So maybe ease up off that guy who's
so often wide right from 47, okay? The average missed field goal is
from 34.40 yards, so coaches are well aware of their kickers'
ranges. Nationally, Division III kickers are just 1 for 12 from 50
yards or beyond this season, with last week's make by Beloit (see
Clyde Hughes' Around the Midwest) the only successful attempt.

2. More from the third phase of the game! Just 57.8% of the field
goal attempts this year have been made, but what gives special
teams coaches ulcers: 100 attempts so far have been blocked. Youch.
Let's tighten up those splits, boys.

3. Average game length of the 1,222 games reporting so far: 2:49,
which is surely longer than those blurs we called games a few
seasons ago when rule changes eliminated several plays from each
game.

4. UW-Whitewater (9,108) and St. John's (8,398) lead the nation in
average attendance as one might expect, but Plymouth State, Coe and
Utica top the charts when you sort by percentage of capacity
filled. Behind St. John's, which has four of the top five
single-game crowds, in average attendance is Baldwin-Wallace
(7,142), Mount Union (5,445) and Christopher Newport (5,016).

5. Concordia-Moorhead has had the nation's toughest schedule to
date, at least by won-loss record. The Cobbers' opponents are 15-2
so far. Teams from the MIAC and CCIW, which had by far the best
non-conference records, fill the top 10 by toughest schedule,
either to-date, upcoming or combined. La Grange, on the other hand,
is in the playoff hunt despite having the 186th-toughest schedule
(7-15 so far, 16-26 overall), and that's not including the 34
schools the NCAA filters out because they play fewer than nine
Division III opponents.

Poll positions

Insight on the ballot of a D3football.com top 25 voter, and the
teams who are on the fringe:

After a Week 6 with so many key clashes, there were quite a few
key questions, like what to do with Capital, who was No. 4 but lost
49-7 to No. 1 Mount Union. On the one hand, the Crusaders weren't
expected to beat the No. 1 team according to their poll position,
so why would they move down to No. 9 (coincidentally, exactly where
I dropped them to)? For starters, a 21-point first-quarter deficit
and 42-point margin of defeat doesn't inspire much confidence.
Mount Union might regularly outplay highly-ranked teams to such a
degree, but it also makes a voter wonder if Capital is really
better than the top two CCIW teams, or comparably successful teams
out East who have not played Mount Union.

And speaking of taking on the Purple Raiders, what to do with St.
John Fisher, which has its third loss but by playing No. 1 Mount
Union (5-0) No. 17 Salisbury (5-1), Hartwick (3-1) and handing
Ithaca (4-1) its only defeat has played four better team than
anyone on No. 10 Washington & Jefferson or No. 15 Case Western
Reserve's schedule. The Spartans outperformed the Cardinals against
a common opponent, Rochester, but a philosophical argument for
rewarding a strong schedule remains. Then again, the Presidents and
Spartans can only play the teams they have lined up, and voters
have to be sure not to unfairly punish them because of it.

What else to do with, say, Montclair State, who drove to the
26-yard line with 22 seconds left before Cortland State held on for
a 23-17 victory? The Red Dragons are now 5-0 and ranked 13th. The
Red Hawks are 4-1 and the seventh team also receiving votes. Are 26
yards and a PAT really worth 19 spots in a poll? The answer might
well be yes, but you have to ask.

In any case, this week's discussion is in full swing on Post
Patterns, an if you're a poll-watcher and you skip the fan
observations there, you're really missing out. Guys are putting
together charts and dissecting the varying voting philosophies.
It's good stuff.

Pool B watch

As listeners to ATN’s Monday podcast and readers of The Daily Dose already know, the NCAA has
corrected the distribution of the 32 playoff bids to include a
third for Pool B. This was the right number all along, but given
that the Northwest Conference’s automatic qualifier makes 23
of those (The defunct IBFC’s bid went with five of it its
teams to the Northern Athletics Conference), the third Pool B bid
leaves just six for runners-up in those conferences.

On Post Patterns, the
Pool B watch has been in full swing for a while. Here’s
what we’re looking at for the three bids:

Case Western Reserve is way out in front at 5-0 and not having an
opponent it will be an underdog against. Unbeaten gets them in, a
loss makes things interesting.

The Wesley/Salisbury winner is in good shape, but the loser is in
big trouble. The losses by both against Delaware Valley won’t
look as bad if the Aggies (4-0 vs. Division III teams) win the MAC.
They’ll both finish with strong OWPs, but will struggle in
the in-region record criteria. Salisbury’s games against
Division II Lake Erie, provisional Geneva, playoff ineligible
Newport News Apprentice and out-of-region St. John Fisher and
Becker will have minimal impact. That means the Gulls can’t
afford a second loss among its five in-region games. Wesley, which
had a game with Christopher Newport canceled, plays NNA and has
non-divison games with Iona, Webber International and Lake Erie, is
in the same predicament.

The SLIAC, whose automatic bid doesn’t kick in until 2010,
has two teams in pretty good shape. Huntingdon is 5-0 but faces 5-0
Hampden-Sydney in Week 10. LaGrange, which hosts the Hawks in Week
11, is unbeaten against Division III teams and could steal a bid if
it wins out. The schedule won’t help, but unbeaten teams tend
to fare well.

Northwestern (Minn.) is 5-1 with a 9-6 loss to Simpson, and needs
someone above to fall. They also finish the season against St.
Thomas, which is 4-1 now.

At 3-1, Chapman is in the mix, but must still face Occidental,
Redlands and Cal Lutheran.

Streak Watch

Since the NCAA now does a lot of the work for me (though not all
their numbers and mine agree), I’ll bring you more lists, but
less depth. If you’re curious about the date of each
team’s last loss/win, for instance, visit the NCAA’s
stats page.

Monmouth breaking St. Norbert’s 29-game MWC winning streak
is probably the week’s major occurrence in this
department.

The Week 7 slate has nothing on that tremendous Week 6, but
there are a few key games out there which will change seasons.

No. 6 Wabash (5-0, 3-0 NCAC) at Wittenberg (4-1,
3-0): No surprise that the Little Giants and Tigers meet
again with so much on the line. Wittenberg’s got the
seventh-ranked defense in the country, while Wabash brings in the
No. 3 total offense.

DePauw (4-1, 2-1 SCAC) at No. 18 Trinity, Texas (5-0,
2-0): In the annual clash of the Tigers, DePauw has a
chance to force the SCAC towards a three-way tie, but the Trinity
defense has looked so solid (two shutouts, including last week by
Rhodes) it might not happen.

Monmouth (6-0, 5-0 MWC) at Ripon (5-1, 5-0): If
not for a failed conversion in the Red Hawks’ 14-13 loss to
UW-Oshkosh, we’d be talking a battle of unbeatens here. As it
stands, its still the first MWC defacto title game that
doesn’t include St. Norbert in as long as we can remember.
And the Green Knights, who lost to Monmouth last week and go to
Ripon next week, are suddenly big Red Hawks fans.

Luther (3-2, 2-1 IIAC) at Buena Vista (4-1, 4-0)
With wins over the other two IIAC teams with just one conference
loss, the Beavers can really put some distance between themselves
and the pack with a win.

Overnight update: Since the first version of this column posted
Wednesday evening, Pool B watch, Five Games to Watch, Streak Watch
and Who are Those Guys have been added.

Sports Information Directors: Around the Nation is interested in
contacting Division III's all-time and single-season leading
rushers and passers to ask them one brief question for a future
column. Any help you can provide in reaching them would be
appreciated.

Not to mention it's a little misdirection play, checking to see if
anyone reads this final department anymore.

Around the Nation thrives on reader feedback, and keeps a running
board on Post Patterns (under general football) to discuss issues
raised in the column, and we'll share feedback and answer questions
there. E-mail correspondence can be directed to
Keith@D3football.com or submitted with our feedback form.

Keith McMillan is available to discuss Division III football with
print, radio and Internet journalists. To set up an appointment,
e-mail Keith.

Sports Information Directors: As always, Around the Nation
appreciates help in covering your school or conference this season.
For more information, contact Keith McMillan at
Keith@D3football.com, or snail mail to D3football.com, 13055
Carolyn Forest Dr., Woodbridge, Va., 22192.

Links to online media guides are preferred over mail. In addition,
please do not add my e-mail address to your regular release lists,
but instead use our news release capabilities to have your
information posted on D3football.com's front page and your team's
page. For more information on how that works and how we can help
each other, contact publisher Pat Coleman at info@d3football.com.
Thank you.